A HISTORICAL proposal for a tourist railway line would have seen passengers taken from Greystones to Glendalough 150 years ago. The proposed railway line was set to be the first of its kind, focusing on getting tourists from the town to the popular spot in Wicklow. Exactly 150 years ago, in July 1874, plans were drawn for a proposed railway line from Greystones to Glendalough.
The line was to include seven new stations, a 1,400-foot tunnel, five level crossings and even 19 bridges. During the mid-19th century, railway excursions to scenic locations became popular in Britain , and the industrial revolution soon began to take off in Ireland. By 1850, excursion agents organised trips from Manchester to Windermere, aiming to connect the land and bring tourists out to see the hugely popular lake district.
This led to a proposed railway line in Ireland almost a quarter a century later that aimed to offer similar excursions from Dublin to Glendalough via Greystones. The planned 18-mile line would start near sea level and rise to 730 feet near Roundwood. The line would have started at Greystones station, climbing through Killincarrig, and a station at Delgany was to follow, with a 500-foot bridge over the Three Trout Stream.
Drawings from the proposal reveal that a crossing was planned at Drummin, where the N11 road is today. The longest stretch of the line was between Altidore and Roundwood, nearly six miles long. The line was to terminate at Glendalough station, 17 miles and 7 furl.